Centrifugal machine



Aug. 12, 1930. G. w. DUNHAM 1,772,602

GENTRIFUGAL MACHINE Filed March 2 5, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 v INVENTOR /u itz. M

ATTORNEY Aug. l2, 1930. G. w. DUNHAM CENTRIFUGAL MACHINE Filed'llarch 2,5, 192'?v 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR mit M ATTORNEY Y G w. DUNHAM 1,772,602

GENTRIFUGAL MACHINE y Filedvuarch 25, 1927 s sheets-sheet s Aug. 12, 1930.

BY' @MM/'WLM ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 12, 1930- UNITED STATES PATENT- OFFICE f GEORGE W. DUNHAI, Ol' NEW um, GONNEULICUT, ASSIGNO-B TO WIBLDRY OOR- POBATION, YOl' NEW HAVEN, OONNEGIICUT, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK CENTBUUGAL um application mea ma as, 1'91'1. serial n. 178,229.

The Yinvention relates, in general, to centrifugal machines, and, more particularly, to a compensating or balancing arrangement for a centrifugal machine.

According to machine is provided which may be in the form of a household laundry machine. This machine may comprise a support which may be a tank having a receptacle or basket rotatably supported therem. Means may be provided for rotating the receptacle or basket to extract liquid 4from the contents thereof. Furthermore,- an under-frame may be provided which may have legs with ordinary casters on the bottom, to enable the machine to be easily moved from place to'plaee.

According tothe inventlon a compensating arrangement is provided between the tank or support and the under-frame, which will compensate for or balance the tendency of the machine to gyrate when the receptacle is unevenly loaded. The compensating arrangement allows the tank a small lateral movement relative to theV underframe, the tank always tending to take a central position with respect to the underframe. Devices ma be also employed to hold the parts in assem led relation, to prevent the tank from separating from its underframe when the machine is moved around or shipped.

Various other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following particulardescrlption and from an inspection of the accompanying drawings.

The invention also consists in certain new and original features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

Although the novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto, the invention itself, as to its objects and advantages, the mode of its operation and the manner of its organization may be better understood by referring to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, in which Fig. 1 represents an elevation with parts broken away, showing a well known type of the invention, a centrifugal.

laundry thereto Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1

with part of the tank broken away to show ...the under-frame; Fig. 3 is a detail on the line ,3 3 of Fig. 2` 'showing'the construction of one of the com-V Referring now to the drawing, a well known type of laundry machine with the invention-applied thereto is used for the purpose o f illustrating the invention. It will be understood, however, that the invention is applicable to any kind of centrifugal extraction machine. In the embodiment shown, the machine comprises a tank 1 having a generally cylindrical side Wall 2 and a. conical bottom wall 3 sloping to an opening in the middle thereof. Supported by the bottom wall 3 is a pedestal assembly comprising a horizontally -disposed centrifugalpump 4 having inlet openings (not shown) connecting with the tank and suspended from the tank bottom 3 by suitable fastening devices. Suitably suspended from the pump 4 is a gear box 5 having the necessary gearing for operating the machine. Supported by the pump 4 is a hollow pedestal 6, on the top of which is rotatably mounted an imperforate type receptacle 7.

The receptacle 7 may be generally imperforate except for a plurality of discharge openings 8 near the top thereof. The receptacle 7 may be provided with a central hub 9 which machine with the inventionapplied -from sheet material, has an up rece tacle 7 operatively secured to its drive sha for continuous rotation.

The tank 1 is provided with a two-part cover 13 comprising an outer llat ring 14 and an inner lid 1 5 seating onvthe ring 14. The 4 e outer ring 14 may be ft in position during operation of the machine to act as a water retaining ring to prevent water from splashing out of the tank. It is only necessa move the lid 15 to introduce. the articles to, and remove them from, the receptacle.

The under-frame 16 com rises a ring 17 of angle iron having secure to the c lind'rical flange thereof three equally spaceffles' 18 arranged to give a three point support. ach of these legs, which may e conveniently inade r dat portion 19 suitably bolted or rivete to the ring 17. The lower ortion 20 of the leg is in the form of a split s eeve and houses the sleeve 10 of a conventional wheel caster 21, the'shank thereof being free to rotate in the sleeve 10 so that the machine can bemoved in any direction, the construction of this type of caster being old and well-known. Secured to the splitsleeve 20 is anapertured ear 11. Thi

ear 11 ma be conveniently formed in with the s eet material of the leg 18 and nt outwardly from the split sleeve'20 as shown. The ring 17 is provided. with a cut-away portion 22 to provide clearance space for the motor 23, as shown in Fig. 2.

Secured to the horizontal flange of the sup porting ring 17 and directly over each leg is a lower cup 26. The cup 26 may be conveniently made of sheet metal bent to form a concave upper surface 24 and attaching flanges 36 by which the cup is secured to the support ing ring 17 with the aid of four fastening devices 27 which may be rivets or bolts and nuts. Cooperating with each lower cup 26 is an upper cup 28 which may be conveniently made of sheet material bent to form a concave lower surface and an attaching flange 37 by which ithe cup is secured to the tank bottom by the aid of three bolts 32 and nuts 29.

The tank bottom 3 is made up of a suitable supporting late 30 of heavy sheet steel having a plura ity of depressed sockets 31, the sockets being square in horizontal cross section, and having openings in the sides and bottoms thereof s'o that square headed bolts 32 may be positioned in the sockets from beneath the supporting late 30. A thin lining 33 of metal is provided over the top of the supporting plate 30 to make the bottom of the tank water-tight. The side wall 2 of the tank is made of generally thin` sheet material, being secured to the bottom 3 of the tank by being bentor rolled around a depending outer flange 34 formed by bending the bottom plate i 30 and lining 33, as shown clearly in Fig. 3.

Disposed between. each pair of lower and `upper cups 26 and 28 is a steel ball 35. Cooperating with-each 'pair of cups is a stop tore-A v apertured lu member 38 which com rises an attaching rtion 39 which is attac ed tothe bottom pte 30 by three bolts, in a manner similar to the manner in which the upperv cu s 28 are secured to thevbottom plate. Eac stop 38 has a lower oset foot 40 which is disposed under the horizontal flan of the under-frame ring 17. A suitable rige or rib 41 is providedto provide .the n www i3' strength to the vstop member 38. The en ofthe foot 40 may be bent downwardly to form an apertured ear Asuitable coil spring'. 43 may be rovided to connect the ears 11 and 42, t ere bein a ring at each leg, as will be'understood. ese-springs 43act to cause the tank to continuously seeka central position on the under-frame. Y

Suspended from the bottom of the tank is a motor support 44. The motor 23 is suitably secured to an attaching plate 46 which is pivotally secured to the support 44 by a bolt 47. The side of the attaching plate 46 has an 48 through which p an adusting bo t 49. Suitable nuts are provi ed to .adjust theportion of the lug` 48 on the bolt 49 to adjust the tension of the belt 50 which provides the drive connection between the motor and the gear box 5. The motor support 44 and the adjustin bolt 49 ma be means o the 1n connection secured to the tank bottom socket construction explain with the upper cups 28.

It will be seen that thel tank is suppo at its outer edge b means of the ball and cup arrangement, andy the entire pedestal assembly is supported by the bottom at the center thereof, the bottom plate 30 providing the necessary structural strength.

In operation, the articles to be washed are placed in the im erforate type receptacle 7, and suitable washing devices and liquid are provided for washing the laundry while it is in the imperforate receptacle. After the washing` operation is over, and it is desired to dry the laundry, the clutch is thrown so as to connect the receptacle with the driving rted Y reo iio

If the load in the receptacle is unevenly distributed, the receptacle will tend to rotate about an axis other than its normal axis, causing a gyrating effect and tending to cause the tank to move laterally. The tank is allowed its lateral movement b means of the upper cups movin on the ba supportedon the lower cups. e stops 38 not onl may limit the movement of the tank upon t e under-frame when the compensating device is functioning, but also prevent se aration of the tank from its under-frame w en the machine is moved about.

lThe springs 43' resist forces causin the tank to move relatively to the under-ame and cause the tank to continuously seek a normal central Aposition on the under-frame. The springs 43 also act to prevent pounding between the stop members 3 8 and the ring 17. The provision of large conventional casters on the legs allows the machine to be moved about in any direction from place to lace very easily and without marring the oor. When the machine is rotating during centrifugal extraction, the tank will gyrate relatively to' the under-frame, but the under-frame will remain stationary with respect to the' floor onv which it is sup orted.

Thus it will be scent at a centriugalmachine has been rovided which has an eilicient compensating arrangement. The necessity of placing caster cu s`^under the casters after the machine has en rolledtoits proper position has been eliminated. The compensatingl arrangement is an integral part of the machine and is always in operative position.

While certain novel features of the invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claims, it will be understood that yvarious omissions, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in itsv operation may be made by those skilled in the art without ldeparting yfrom the spirit of the ring, and a plurality of compensating evices between said ring and said bottom,.said devices being suspended within -and below said Alung. A

' 2. In combination, a tank, a pedestal extending up from the bottom of. said tank a receptacle having an imperforate ortion or holdin liquid and mounted on'said pedestal,

means or rotating's'aid receptacle to extract liquid therefrom,jan under-frame comprising a ring, three legs three annularly spaced, concave cu sec -I to said ring, one over each leg, a p urali upper, cooperatin concave cups sec to lcompensating between each pair of co operating cups, and a' lurality ofl stops se- 55 "cup, said stops having attaching ears, said legs having cooperative attaching ears at the lowerends thereof, a coil springconnecting each pair of cooperating attaching ears.

4. In combination, a sup ort, a member r0- tatable about a vertical axison said support, an underframe for supporting said support, a plurality of cups secured to said su port, a

plurality of cooperating' cups secure to said underframe, and means between each pair of cooperating cups for allowing relative movement between said support and underframe,

gs e5 a spring for each pair of cups, said sprin being secured to said underframe and to said support, said springs acting to cause said support to seek a predetermmedposition on said underframe.

5. 'In combination, a support, a receptacle mounted on said support, means for rotating said receptacle to extract liquid therefrom, an underframe having a lurality of legs,

movement between said support and underframe-including springs extending from the lower ends of said legs tosaid support.

6. A household laundry machine compi-1s- .ing a tank a receptacle-therein, means for rotating said receptacle about a vertical axis to dry articles held by said receptacle, a supporting frame, casters on said frame to allow easy movement of said machine about, and a compensating arrangement between said frame i and tank for. allowing said tank a limited movement with respect to said frame devices '-a lowing relative` ico said movement being. caused by rotationof said rece tacle.l

-In testimony whereof-I hereunto set my hand. Y GEORGE DUNHAM.

securedl to said ring,- casters attached to the lower ends of said'le cured to said bottom an havin feet dis `d i under said ring, one stop un ereach ower cup.

3. In combination, a tank, a'. ex-

tending from the bottom of said tank, arece tacle having an imperforate portion for hold: v A

ing -liquid and mounted 'on said pedestal,

means for rotating said-receptacle-to extract liquid therefrom, an underframe comprising a rin Y, three legs secured to said ring, casters attac ed to the lower ends of said legs, three I Hll() 

